


all's well that ends well to end up with you

by jaracens



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dad Mack, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mama Elena - Freeform, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Parent Melinda May, Parent Phil Coulson, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 07, Pregnancy, mentions of child death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27206084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaracens/pseuds/jaracens
Summary: mackelena and philinda fluff since the season seven finale did them dirty :)
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	all's well that ends well to end up with you

**Author's Note:**

> for mar, who wanted me to write this big ball of fluff

Melinda May listened to the lively hum of the people around her. A catchy pop song was playing, and it was mixed in with the chatter of cooks and the clanks of plates coming from the kitchen of the bar. It was a small bar that was tucked in one of the many alleyways of New York City. It had warm air and a homey feeling, and all the bartenders were friendly towards their customers.

Melinda wondered how she found herself sitting in a bar in New York City watching fat, white snowflakes fall from the sky as she sipped at a beer with the man she loved. Of course, she knew exactly why she was there. She just didn’t understand why Phil Coulson had wanted to go see the Empire State Building in the middle of one of the coldest Novembers in her recent memory. She would have rathered seeing the city on a warm June afternoon, but Phil had reassured her that New York was beautiful in the winter.

He had been right, in a way. Despite her hatred for the cold, Melinda couldn’t resist the small smile spreading across her face as they huddled together drinking warm hot chocolate as they window shopped.

“Hey Melinda,” He said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She brought her attention to his face. He was smiling softly at her, and she couldn’t suppress the small smile spreading across her lips. “Are you okay? You blanked out.”

Melinda nodded. “I just got lost in my thoughts, that’s all.”

He took her hand in his. His fingers were hard and calloused, but the feeling was familiar. “Mack and Elena should be here soon,” He said quietly.

That was the other reason she and Coulson were sitting in this bar. They were going to have a small meet up with two of the former agents from their team. It had been a year since she had last seen Alphonso Mackenzie and Elena Rodriguez, and she had missed the two. Elena had become like a daughter to her, and Mack was very much like a son. She loved them both like they were her own.

The last time their whole team had been together was at Mack and Elena’s wedding. They had gotten married in a small town in northern Pennsylvania. It had been during October, and all the leaves on the trees had been a golden color mixed with vibrant oranges and reds. Elena had looked beautiful in her wedding gown. She had begrudgingly agreed to wear the dress if she could wear her steel-toed Doc Martens underneath. Simmons had sighed and agreed to the compromise since there was no other way to get Elena Rodriguez into a dress. Even if it _was_ her wedding day.

Melinda felt a nudge in her ribs, and looked to see where Phil was pointing. Standing in the doorway of the bar was Mack and Elena, both looking a little lost and flustered. They both looked cold, with snow still standing out in Elena’s dark hair. Her cheeks and nose were flushed with color, and she was hugging herself as she huddled close to Mack. He looked relieved to be out of the cold, and when his eyes fell onto Melinda and Phil’s table, he nudged his wife in their direction.

“¡ _B_ _uenas noches_!” Elena said as she shook off her long, black jacket. She sat down at the table, and nestled down into her matching black turtleneck in an attempt to warm her face. Mack joined her a moment later, pulling off his hat and shoving it in the pocket of his jacket.

“Hey guys,” Phil said with a smile. “How are you two?”

Melinda noticed Elena gave Mack an anxious look. He gave her a soft look, and she immediately relaxed. Melinda said nothing, and offered them both a friendly smile while making a mental note of Elena’s sudden anxiety. Mack returned the warm smile as he settled down into his seat.

“Cold,” He chuckled. “But glad to be here.” Elena hummed in agreement.

Phil also chuckled. “So what are you doing in the city?”

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Mack said. “Yo-Yo wanted to check up on a friend who had gotten injured on a mission. She’s been healing at home with her family and has been helping out one of our relief teams in the meantime.”

Phil nodded. “We’re here because I _really_ wanted to see the Empire State Building.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He made me freeze my ass off by standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city in the middle of November.”

He grinned at Mack. “It was a dope view.”

Mack raised an eyebrow. “It better have been worth it, then.”

Phil’s grin widened. “Oh, it was.”

“I saw you looking at a vendor on the street,” Elena said. “I tried to get your attention but you were too focused on the Captain America scarf you were looking at.” She chuckled.

Phil grinned. “Hey! It was a steal! I _had_ to!”

Melinda noticed that Elena was being oddly quiet. That was the first time she had spoken since she had greeted them. She usually had some sort of sarcastic comment to make, and she was growing a little concerned. The young woman was also fidgeting more than usual.

When Mack had offered to get the group drinks, Elena had asked Mack for water. It surprised Melinda that she hadn’t asked for a beer because she was pretty sure the younger woman could consume beer like it was the last liquid on Earth.

It was only the two women seated at the table. Elena could not meet Melinda’s eyes as she picked at the edge of the napkin that was sitting in front of her. Melinda instinctively reached for her hand. Elena moved to pull her hand away, but let Melinda take her hand.

“Yo-Yo, what’s wrong?” She was concerned for the younger woman.

Elena shook her head. “Nothing. _Estoy bien_.”

Melinda could see through the blatant lie. “You’ve been fidgeting all night,” She said. “If you need to tell us something, you can.”

Elena met her gaze. “ _Gracias, solo tengo frío. Eso es todo_.”

Melinda nodded as both Mack and Coulson returned to the table. Mack was holding three beer bottles and a glass of water and Phil held two baskets of fries which he placed in the center of the table.

The four people talked casually, with Mack catching up the now retired agents on what was happening with S.H.I.E.L.D. now that he had his own team. He had said that he had pulled a prisoner from the Raft out of her incarceration not long into the process of building his new team. He had said that he had partnered her up with Elena, and she had been making great progress, and was a good addition to their team. He even went as far to say that she was trustworthy and that she had saved both Mack and Elena on missions.

After falling into a comfortable silence, Mack shifted in his seat. Elena immediately grabbed for his hand, and he took her small hand in his large one. She tensed, and looked at him with panic flashing in her dark eyes. He ran his thumb over her knuckles in a comforting way, and the tension in her shoulders ceased.

He cleared his throat. Melinda and Phil turned their attention to Mack. “We have an announcement to make.” He said quietly.

Elena fiddled with the pendant around her neck. Her cheeks were flushed with color again. “Go ahead, _mi amor_. Say it.”

Melinda and Phil looked at the two of them expectantly. Mack smiled a little. “Well, uh, y’see-” He paused and looked over at his wife. “Yo-Yo and I are going to, um, we’re going to have a baby.”

He blushed when both Melinda and Phil’s mouths opened in shock. Phil was the first one to congratulate the pair, and Elena hid her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. Melinda had a smile on her face as she stood and pulled Elena into a hug.

“So _that’s_ what you were hiding.”

“ _Sí_.” 

After the commotion of the announcement died down, the two older agents were over the moon for the younger couple. Phil had more questions, and Melinda scolded him for overwhelming them. Phil gave them both an apologetic smile, and Mack and Elena gave him loving smiles in return.

“How far along are you?” Melinda asked once she managed to stop Phil from pestering them with unnecessary questions.

“Three months.” Elena said with a smile. 

Phil was practically vibrating in his seat. “Do you know the gender?”

Elena chuckled. “That, _mi amigo_ , is a surprise.”

__________

When Melinda got the call six months later, she already knew what it was before she even picked up the phone. Mack sounded distressed as he alerted the two of what was going on. He had asked them if they could come to Illinois, and once Melinda shook Phil awake, he was already frantically packing as she managed to keep the younger man calm from her side of the line.

“It’s not your first time doing this,” She said calmly. “This is your third time. We both know you know what to do.”  
  
Mack inhaled sharply from his side of the line. “Yeah! And the last two times it went to shit!”

“Mack, you got this. You’re prepared this time.”

“I should have been prepared last time!”

Melinda’s heart ached for him. “That wasn’t your fault.”

She heard Elena groan and swear in Spanish from his side of the call. “Okay, I gotta go.” He hung up.

Melinda rubbed her eyes as Phil threw her a backpack full of clothes. She looked at her alarm clock, and sighed when it blinked three o’clock in the morning back at her. Phil hurried out of their room and into the kitchen where he began cramming small items of food into a knapsack. It was going to be a long three days on the road.

__________

When they arrived at the hospital three days later, both Melinda and Phil looked bedraggled. They had barely slept the entire trip out of anxiety and the need to arrive in Illinois at the right time. They both hurried into the hospital, and asked for Elena’s room. They were guided by a nurse, who quietly opened the door and alerted the new parents of their visitors.

Despite the joyous looks radiating off of both Mack and Elena as they quietly talked in the peaceful quietness of the room, there was a sense of heavy sadness in the air. Elena and Mack still looked equally exhausted, but they managed to smile at the older couple as they entered.

Elena was fidgeting with her pendant again as Melinda greeted her and Phil beamed at Mack who was smiling softly down at the blob in his arms. Phil was immediately at Mack’s side, and Melinda found herself sitting in the chair next to Elena.

“How are you?” She asked quietly.

“I feel like something ripped me in half from in between the legs.” Elena replied.

“I don’t mean physically,” Melinda said. “I know you must be overjoyed, but I know you might also be a little sad.” She rested her hand on Elena’s shoulder.

She stopped fidgeting with her pendant. “Why? Because the first daughter I gave Mack didn’t even live to see a minute outside the womb?” The younger woman bit back tears.

“That wasn’t your fault, Yo-Yo.” Melinda said softly. “You did the best you could have in that situation.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. “I just wish I could have seen her open her eyes. Or heard her breathe. Or _something_.”

”I know,” Melinda said quietly.

Elena swallowed hard. More tears were starting to brim in her eyes. “She should be here,” Her voice cracked. “I wish she was here.”

Melinda remained silent as Elena tugged at the pendant around her neck again. Mack had one that was the exact same. Engraved on them was _Daisy Faith_. The daughter that never was.

Daisy Faith Mackenzie had been a result of a cryptic pregnancy. Neither Mack nor Elena had known about it until it was too late. Elena had chosen the name Daisy since Daisy Johnson had been by her side the entire delivery despite the sour air between the two. Mack had been on a mission, and he had tried his best to help her from over the comms. Daisy couldn’t watch her friend - her _sister_ \- go through something like that alone.

Melinda comforted Elena as Phil held Mack and Elena’s daughter for the first time. He was beaming down at the little girl, who smiled up at him. She was nearly a perfect copy of Elena. She had the same thick, dark hair and nose. The only difference was she had Mack’s skin tone and murky blue eyes that would soon turn the deep brown of her parents.

“She looks just like you, Elena.” Phil murmured as the little girl wrapped her hand around his finger. “What’s her name?”

“Oh, we didn’t decide on tha-” Mack started.

“Esperanza,” Elena interrupted. “Esperanza Barbara Mackenzie.”

“Esperanza?” Mack asked with his voice thick with emotion. “To hope?” She nodded.

“For the Hope you lost, _mi amor_.”

She had a little smug smile on her face because she knew it was perfect.

Phil stood over Melinda with the baby in his arms. He gently handed her Esperanza, who stared curiously into her eyes.  
  
“And Barbara?”

“After Mack’s closest _amiga_ ,” Elena said. “The blonde one who was there when we first met in Bogotá.”

Mack’s eyes were shining with love as he looked at his wife. “It’s perfect. _She’s_ perfect.”

Melinda’s heart was full of love as she gazed down at the little girl who was trying to reach up and tug at her hair. She felt pride when she saw the beautiful child that they had, and how far they had come since their first meeting in Bogotá all those years ago. It was the very first time that she was content with retirement, and it was the first time in a _long_ time that Mack and Elena were at peace. They were stepping into the wild world of parenthood, and they had Melinda and Phil to guide them along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> i do not own any of these characters except for the two ocs i made lmao
> 
> spanish translations:  
> Buenas noches - good evening  
> Estoy bien - i'm fine  
> Gracias, solo tengo frío. Eso es todo - thanks, i'm just cold. that's it  
> mi amor - my love  
> Sí - yes  
> mi amigo - my friend  
> amiga - friend
> 
> i used google translate for these translations, so they may be a little off so please let me know in the comments!
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
